The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-06-09
-TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Discourse to the Military in the
National Bncampment
The Soldier the Hulwark of the Nation
Warriors OF Ancient aud Modern Times
-Preseps Reviews Compared With
the Great and Final One.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage visited the Ma
Gonal militia eucampment at Washington
and preached to an immense con gregation
on the camp ground. Soldiers from thirty
enc States and Territories were present,
together with nineteen Governors and
their STATS His texts were:
Fifty thousand which could keep ranR.-L
Chronicles, XII, 80.
Every one could sting stones at q hair-breadth
and not miss.-JHdses, Xxx, Is.
He said; Companies of infantry, caval-
~, artillery and zouaves, please notice
the first Scripture passage applauds the
soldiers of Zebulun because they were
disciplined troops. They may have been
insufficient at the start and laughed at by
old soldiers because they seemed so clum-
sy in the line; but 1t was dill, drill, drill,
until they could keep step as one man.
Fifty thousand which could keep rank.
The second Scripture passage applauds
regiment of singers in the tribe OF
Benjamin because they are dexterous
marksmen. When they arst enlisted they
may have been an awkward squad, and
all their fingers were thumbs, but they
practiced until when they aimed at a
mark they always hit it.
Every one could sling stones al hair breadth
and MOB miss
Roth texts combining to show us that
if we must fight we should do it well.
There IS something absorbing IN the
military science OF the Bible. In olden
times all the men between twenty and Fifty
years of age were enrolled in the army,
and then a levy was made for special
service. There were only three or four
classes exeIdpt--those who had built
house and bad not occupied it; those who
had planted a garden and had not reaped
the fruit Of 1t; those who were engaged
TO be mar led and vet had net led the
bride to thu altar: those who We're vet in
the brst year of welded life; those who
were so nervous that they could not look
upon an cnsmy but they Red, and could
not look upon blood but they tainted.
The army was in three divisions-the
center and right and left wings, The
weapons II defense were helmet shield,
breastplat,, buckler. The weapons Of
off5nsa were sword, spear javelin, arrow,
cttapult--Which was merely bow swung
by machinery, shooting arrows at vast
distances, s1reat arrows, one arrow as
large as several men could
lift, and ballista, which was Il
sling swung by machinery, hurting great
rocks and large pieces of lead to vast dis
tances. ThdAhielis were made OF woven
willOwwork, with three thicknesscs of
hide and loop inside through which the
arm of the warrior might be thrust; and
when these soldiers were marching to at
tack an enemy on the level all these
shields touched each otheN making wall
moving but impene uable, and then when
they attacked a fortress and tried TO capt.
ure a battlenent, this shield was lifted
over the head so as to resist the falling
missiles. The breastplate was made of
two pieces of leather, brass covered, one
piece falling over the back. AZ the side
of the warrior the two pieces fastened
with buttons or clasps. The bows were
so stout and stin and strong that warriors
often challenged each other TO bend one.
The strings of the bow were made from
sineNvs of oxen. A case like ar inverted
pyramid was fastened to the back, that
case containing the arrows, so that when
the warrior wanted to use an arrow he
would put his arm over his
shoulder and pull forth the
arrow for the tight. The angle
of the foot had an iron boot. when a wall
was to be assaulted hattering ram was
brought up A bat'ering ram was great
beam swung on chains in equilibrium.
The battering-ram would be brought close
up to the wall, and then great mum Der
push it back as far as they could and then
let CO. and the beam became a great
swinging pendulum CT destruction.
Twenty or forty men would stand in
movable tower on the back Of an ele-
plant, the elephant made drunk with
wine, and then headed toward the enemy,
apd what with the heavy feet and the
swinging probOscis, and the poisoned ar
rows shot from the movable tower, the
destruction was appalling. War chariots
were in vogue, and they were on two
wheels, so they could easily turn.
sword was fastened to the pole between
the horses, so when they went ahead the
sword thrust, and when they turned
around it would NOW down. The armies
carried bags beautifully embroidered The
tribe of Judah carried flag embroidered
with lion; tribe Of Reuben, en-
broidcred with man; tribe of Dan, en-
brOidered with CherUbim The noise of
the host as they moved on was over
whelming. What with the clatter of
shields and the milling Of wheels and
the shouts of the cap ans, and the voci-
feratiOns of the entire host, the prophet
says it was like the roaring Of the sea.
Because the arts of war have been ad-
vancing all these long years you are not
to conclude that these armies of Olden
tunes were an uncomfortable mob. |
could quote you four or five passages of
Scripture showing you that they were
thoroughly drilled; they marched step to
step, shoulder to shoulder, or as my texts
expresses it, they were
Fifty thousand which could keep rank" and
every one could sling stones at a hair breadth
and not miss"
Nothing could be more important than
this great National enca mpment. I'M
drilled troops can never stand before
those which are drilled. At a time when
other nations are giving such care to mil
itary tactics, 1T behooves this Nation
to lack nothing in skill. We shall
never have another war between
North and South. The old decayed bone Of
contention, American slavery, has been
cast out, although here and there de-
PRAYED politician takes it up to see il he
can gnaw some thing off of it, We are float
ing off further and further from the pos
sibility of sectional strife, but about for
eign invasion l am not so sure. There is
absolutely no room on this continent for
any other nation. have been across the
country again and again, and / know that
we have not a half-inch of ground for the
equity foot of foreign despotism to stand
on. do not know but that d halfdozen
nations, envious of our prosperity, may
want to give us a Wrestle. During our
civil war there were two or three nations
that could hardly keep their hands off of
US. 1t is very easy to pick national quar-
rels, and if our Nation escapes it much
longer it will be the exception. If a for
eign foe should come, we want men like